


Love always finds a way...

by Ilyasviel



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Fluff and Smut, M/M, Shameless Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-08
Updated: 2017-06-08
Packaged: 2018-11-11 11:10:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11147214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilyasviel/pseuds/Ilyasviel
Summary: Cullen had developed some feelings, and they are eating him alive. Doubting, watching him pass near him and not knowing what their true feelings are... Dorian wants to help. Maker bless the sassy Tevinter and his mind!------Some gratuitous and shameless smut. My first time writing an M/M scene. As always, English is not my first language, I try to do it the best I can, but I'm sure I make a lot of mistakes. Point them to me, I can't improve without input ;) No beta-reading, wrote in some hours to calm my smut side :P





	Love always finds a way...

The rays of the sun give the garden a beautiful colour, painting every surface in a warm golden light. Spring is blossoming around the placebo, the smell of embrium filled the space, the chant the sisters are signing at the far end of it mixed with the song of the birds.

Under the gazebo shade, two well know figures are seating, playing their usual game of chess. Commander Cullen sits leaning on his knees, the red coat he usually wears over his armour leaning on the back of his chair. In front of him, Dorian is resting back on the chair, a happy grin on his face seeing that his last cheat has worked like a charm, and he is ready to make a winning moving. 

“My dear Commander, you seems to be distracted today.”

Cullen is still looking intently at the chess board, trying to find a way to avoid the imminent defeat. “I will not try to tell you otherwise, Dorian.” Reclining against the chair, he lays down his king in surrender.

Dorian sees it arching a brow, but knowing as he knew Cullen, he knows that something is eating his mind, and instead of mopping him, he wants to help. “And I’m allowed to know what is distracting the mighty Commander of the Inquisition?”

Cullen starts to massage his temples, the other hand resting on the armrest of the chair. “I don’t think you can help with what is haunting my sleeping hours, my friend.”

Dorian starts to position the pieces on the chess board for the next players, taking a moment to order what he wants to say. When he raises the white king, he tries his luck, “We never know if you don’t share it, Commander. Want to have a drink with me? We can talk about it or about any other topic to try to distract your troubled mind. Of course, the drink is on me; I don’t want to taint my purity with the poison Cabot serves on the Herald.”

The Commander can’t hide the little grin showing on his face. “Can’t let you disgrace your sacred temple with mundane wine.”

Dorian chuckles with his words, “Happy to see you finally accepted my glorious form, Commander. If you can provide some food, I will go to my room and pick a couple of Antivan wine. We can have a discreet supper in your tower, or we can retire to my little space on the library.”

Cullen straightens his back, sitting back and leaning on his knees before standing up, “I’m not sure, Dorian. I don’t think I can talk about it right now.”

The Tevinter stands with him, crossing his arms, “And I said we don’t need to talk about it, but you need some distraction, I can see the black cloud around your head, and is starting to leak.”

With a sigh, the Commander picks up his coat from the chair, “Fine. Your corner of the library, then. I’ll be there in an hour if is enough time for you.”

Giggling, Dorian starts to walk to the main hall’s door. “See you later, Commander.”

Cullen leaves the garden, giving nods here and there to the guards or nobles who salute him. His stride is strong and quick, as always, moving through the main hall to the rotunda and from there to his tower. A new pile of reports wait for him on the top of his desk, but he decides to ignore them. Everything important enough will arrive accompanied by a messenger waiting for his answer. Climbing the ladder to his quarters, he starts to take off his armour, a meal with a friend can’t be done in full armour. He takes some time to clean himself and change into a pair of comfortable breeches and a long white tunic. The sword is a part of his body, so he wraps the belt over the tunic before going down again. Time is tricky in the middle of this chaos, and he tends to lose more time than normal in doing menial things, almost an hour has passed since they departed from the gazebo. Quickening his pace, he walks down to the yard, going to the kitchens through the stairs near the stable. The cook has his meal served on a tray, and he asks for another one, the woman serving him another set of pots with a smile. Cullen walks to the Vault, climbing the stairs to Josephine’s office and moving to the main hall. The nobles are already enjoying their meals on the long tables or in their private quarters, and he moves swiftly to the door that leads to the second floor of the tower. 

Each step he takes to the top of the stairs make the butterflies on his stomach run wilder. Can he ask about it? Will Dorian laugh at him or even worse, get offended by his doubts? No, Dorian is his friend, one he didn’t plan to make but is happy to have. Their shared moments in the garden or the tavern are precious to him, helping his mind to focus on something outside the chaos of the Breach. The door stands in front of him, and he takes a moment to calm his nerves before opening it and stepping inside the library. The room is empty. Everyone has left for the night. Cullen moves to the little corner Dorian has reclaimed as his own. The mage is sitting in one of the comfortable chairs he ordered on Val Royeaux, nursing a goblet of wine and reading a book he leans against his crossed leg. Cullen coughs softly to announce his arrival.

Dorian raises his head from the book and smiles broadly at him. “Welcome to my little corner, Commander. You can leave the tray on the table and take a seat.” He signals the chair in front of him and closes the book he was reading, leaving it at the nearest bookshelf for later. Leaning over the little table between the chairs, he serves another share of wine in a clean goblet and passes it to Cullen, who is unbuckling his sword belt to sit on the chair. “Is nice to see you out of your armour, my friend. I don’t know how you endure the long days trapped inside it.”

Cullen leans the sword against the chair, sitting on it before taking the goblet from Dorian’s hand. “Practice. I can ask you how you survive walking half dressed on Skyhold in winter.”

“Good taste. The easy answer of the day. I’m thrilled knowing that no one asked our Ice Lady why she wore the clothes she wore, but everyone seems to think that I’m crazy for showing a shoulder and part of an arm.”

Cullen has to chuckle to his answer, taking a sip of the wine, noting that is an excellent one, and expensive. “Point taken. But you have to admit, even being the traitorous tevinter, you aren’t as scary as her, my friend.” 

Dorian laughs with him, replenishing his goblet, “Let’s see what your position can get in the kitchens at this hour.”

The cook has prepared a cold vegetable cream, an Orlesian recipe made with potatoes and leeks. A big pot contains a roasted druffalo in sherry sauce, and another one has some baked apples. “I’m officially jealous, Commander. They never treat me like this.”

Cullen shrugs while serving the food on plates. “Have you tried being nice to the girls in the kitchen? You don’t need to flirt, only try to use your charm with them. Their work is hard enough without a spoiled brat like you bragging about the quality of their cooking.”

Dorian is enjoying a piece of meat, enjoying the sweetness of the sauce. “Easy for you to say, Commander. You only need to smile and give a nice word to have all the Keep at your feet. I’m still the Tevinter monster who is waiting for the moment to strike and poison the Inquisitor mind. Besides, there are no attractive men to fulfil my tastes in the kitchens. I get better acceptance between your soldiers and scouts.” He said the last words winking to him over the rim of the goblet.” Cullen blushes to his words, filling his mouth with a big spoon of cream, praying to the Maker that the low sun on the sky and the distant soft candlelight hides it. But Dorian is a good observer and takes good note of it. “I never thought that you have a problem with my love preferences, Commander.”

Cullen blushes, even more, choking a bit with the cream he was eating. “N-No, I don’t have a problem with you, with--with that! Maker, I’m stuttering again.”

Dorian has skipped the cream as has passed directly to the meat, eating part of Cullen’s share while they talked. “Good to know, because is the first time I saw you blushing over it and I don’t know how to take it.”

The Commander takes a long gulp, fixing his gaze of the food in front of him. “Can we talk about it later, please?”

Dorian shrugs and moves to pick up one of the baked apples. “Fine. Later then. Sorry, I ate part of your main course, but it tasted so good that I can't fight it. It has been a long while since I enjoyed a flavour this sweet.”

Cullen ends with the cream and passes to eat the druffalo, “I can send for you when they make those for me. The Cook seems to think that I need more meat and sugar in my life because she makes me this kind of dishes once a week.”

The Tevinter almost moan when he takes the first bite of the baked apple, “I will give you a hand to end with this kind of torture whenever you need me, Commander.” A soft chuckle from the blond man is his only answer, and they finish the meal in companionable silence. Dorian took one of the apples from Cullen’s share when he offered it, eating it with a grateful smile.

When the last bite has been eaten, they stack the plates on one of the trays, closing the pots with their lids and moving the trays to a table near the stairs for later. Returning to the chairs, Dorian recovers another bottle from behind his chair. “Tevinter Sherry, I saved it for a special occasion.” Picking a pair of glasses from the table, he serves the liquor and gives one of the to Cullen, sitting back more comfortably on the chair. 

Cullen knows that he is waiting for him to start talking, but the words are trapped in his throat. Taking a long gulp of the sherry, he leaves the heat of the liquor to burn his hesitance. A deep breath helped too, and he takes a good share of them before gaining enough energy to talk. “Is not because of your preferences the reason I was blushing, Dorian. I believe is not necessary to say that whatever I tell you has to remain between us.”

Putting the glass down on the table, Dorian join his fingers over his chest, looking directly to Cullen. “Indeed. I like to consider myself one of your friends, and as one, I’ll never betray your trust.” The raised brow gives away how interested the other man is in Cullen’s words.

“Thanks. Well, I don’t know how to say this without sounding stupid.”

Dorian shrugs and crosses a leg over the other, “You will never know until you do it, besides I never will think that the clever mind of the Inquisition is stupid, Commander. Try me.”

Cullen stands and walks to the window, leaning a hand on the wall and resting his forehead on it. “I always thought of myself as straight, Dorian. Is not that I don’t have first-hand experience with men, but I enjoy more the company of women. My knowledge about man to man relation is more centred on the physical act than the pursuit of a relationship. I never felt an attraction to a man beyond the physical one, and I have to say it, it was a long time ago, but now…”

Dorian shift his position nervously. “Well, my friend. I’m not really versed in long term relations with men, but I will give you all the help I can.” 

“How did you know that you have a crush on a man? How did you know the other one is interested? I learned to read women, or so I thought, and even knowing what to look for, I’m almost blind to it, in Varric’s words.”

Dorian stands to move beside him, returning him the glass with the sherry and leaning against the wall at the other side of the window. “That depends on the person. I’m pretty obvious with my flirting but a lot more subtle with my real interests, as you well know.”

Cullen ends his drink in a single gulp, rolling the empty glass on his hand. “Maker, I feel like a teenager again. I spent the last ten years running from every possible relation, only to fall for a man who is possibly straight. The one that I can risk to lose his confidence or scare him enough that he stops looking into my eyes.”

Dorian picks the glass from his hand and leaves it together with his on the table. “My dear friend, if my months in the south has taught me something is that your people had a more open mind that I never thought possible. You said it yourself, you usually prefer the company of women, but can feel an attraction to a man. Maybe he is like you? If you try to repeat this words to anyone, I will deny it, but in this dark days, one doesn't have to close off any ray of happiness one can pursue.” Dorian forces the Commander to sit back, replenishing the glass and giving it to him, before sitting himself with a leg blended under his body. “Now we will play a Guess Game! I want to know who has stolen my Commander's heart; maybe I can shed light on it.”

Cullen starts to mumble again, “I don’t think--”

“Let’s start by you lieutenants, Rylen? No, he is at the Western Approach and has been there for weeks, no mopping over a missing man. Hall? No… too savage and undisciplined. Thornton then? No no no, I can’t find anything appealing in the old soldier. Let's move to the Chargers then. Stitches is taken, Rocky… I can’t picture you with a dwarf. Maybe Grim? Nah, he isn’t a good conversationalist.” Dorian giggles to his own jokes, seeing the blushing creeping slowly but surely over Cullen’s face. “Krem? I can understand it, but he is not onto men, believe me, I tried, I tried a lot. Bull? No… you will not be talking to me then. Cole is too young, and Solas is, well, is Solas. Blackwall then? I don’t think so; he disappointed you with all the Rainier episode.”

Cullen shakes his head, “Please, don’t continue. You already know of whom I was talking, no need to hit me where it hurts, Dorian.”

“Maker, you have a crush on Max!”

Cullen covers his eyes with a hand, “Andraste’s tits, Dorian, I beg you, stop it, please!”

Dorian pat his leg softly, “Let me enjoy your discomfort a little bit more, my friend.” When Cullen growls to him, the Tevinter giggles softly, “Fine, fine! I will be a good lad and stop the teasing. Besides, I have good news for you, but I prefer to look into your eyes instead of your hands, Commander.”

Cullen sighs sadly before letting the hand return to the armrest. “I knew it was a terrible idea…”

“Like our Orlesians friends like to say, au contraire, my friend. I’m the perfect person to talk about it. To ease your mind, I’ll only say that our beloved Inquisitor had similar doubts.” Dorian returns to lean his back on the chair, “He told me that something happened to him after the attack on Haven, something about seeing the most handsome man he ever saw, about hot hands and furry coats” Dorian let his words sink on Cullen’s mind. “But I had sworn never to divulge the name of his affections, but I know you will store the information with even more care that I did until now.”

Cullen’s breath has quickened, and Dorian starts to think that he had made a mistake telling him, when the man blushed deeply, leaning a hand over his heart. “Are you serious about that, Dorian?”

The mage stands and moves to his chair, sitting on the armrest. “My dear Commander, as someone who never got the privilege to enjoy a love relationship with all its blessings, I never, never, will play with someone’s heart that way.” He puts a hand on the one on his chest and squeezes it slightly until Cullen opens his eyes to look at me. “He confided me his secret, the same way that you, over a glass of wine and a warm friendship.”

The Commander nods, gaze fixed on the flame of one of the candles near the window. “Thanks, Dorian. Knowing about it just makes me feel even more nervous. A one-sided love, I can handle it. I had experience on impossible ones, but knowing that he maybe feels the same. I don’t know how to act about it, and knowing myself as I do, I’m sure I will blush to death every time our path crosses.”

The mage moves one of his hands to play with his moustache. “Huuummm, let me think, I’m sure I can think of a way to help you.” Cullen uses the time to recover his breathing rhythm; his heart is still beating crazily on his chest. Dorian chuckles returns his attention to him, “My dear Commander, I have a plan, an excellent one, but I will need some cooperation. What do you say?”

Cullen fixes his gaze on his fingers, his mind working in possible scenarios after whatever plan Dorian has developed, but can’t think of anything worse than the awkward situation of crossing gaze with him over the war table and stuttering like a teenager. “Do you think it will work?”

Dorian smile is mischievous but strangely reassuring, “Of course I do, if not, I will not talk you into it, my friend.”

Cullen leans his elbows on his knees, resting his head on his joined hands, “The Maker will provide. I’ll accept His decision on it. I’ll do it, Dorian.”

The mage gives him a half hug and stands, “Then be ready tomorrow, before midday. Take a long bath, groom your hair, shave your face, put clean clothes on. I will fetch you when everything is ready and will explain my plan then.”

When Dorian returns to his chair, Cullen stands, recovering his sword and buckling the belt around his hip. “I hope you are right, Dorian, I really do. Let’s hope I don’t regret this tomorrow night.”

The sound that Dorian makes sounds incredibly closer to a grunt, but he will never accept it, “That’s not the correct attitude, my friend. I expect to find you still on Skyhold tomorrow morning, don’t even try to run away because of this.”

“Pray to the Maker that he didn’t want me to go when everything falls in place tomorrow.”

Dorian simply shakes his head, “I very much doubt it. Go, take some rest, I’ll take care of the trays. See you tomorrow, Commander.”

Cullen waves to him and starts to go down the stairs to the rotunda. Solas isn’t here, luckily for him, in his state, even someone like Solas can tell that he was distressed by something. When he closes the door that leads to his tower, he leans against it, covered in shadows. He takes some moments to relax, the cold of the night helping a bit. When he is about to start moving, he sees a shadow in front of one of the doors to his towers. The shadow raises a hand and lets it fall, taking a step back and forward every time. At last the shadow seems to decide against knocking and starts to walk back to the tavern. Just before it disappears inside the next tower, the clouds that were covering the moon moved away, and the white light of it let him see that the mysterious shadow is, in fact, the Inquisitor. His heart starts pumping like a thoroughbred’s stampede; he can feel the beats on every fibre of his body. Maybe Dorian was right? Is it possible? Will the Maker give him some peace at last? He starts to walk to his tower, closing the latches on all the doors when he is inside. The pile of reports had not grown, which is good news. Reaching his desk, he starts to search in one of the drawers until he finds a little phial filled with a red liquid. Leliana gave it to him after Haven, when the nightmares didn’t let him sleep. It works like a charm, but it makes him have a slow start in the morning, and he rarely uses it. Tonight he needs to rest, really rest. He will need all his forces, body and mind, for the tests of the next day. Climbing the ladder, he unbuckles the sword and put it near the bed, like every night, taking off the boots and breeches and laying on the bed on the tunic. Taking a sip from the phial, he put it aside and closes his eyes, waiting for the Fade to call for him.

The sound of the Keep awakening wakes Cullen. Soft golden light is painting every surface available on his austere bedroom. The morning thrills had already begun, the voice of the sergeants and the sound of weapon against weapon mixed with the warble of the birds. He overslept, but not by a long way, and thanks to that thought, he takes his time to wake up. When he feels lucid enough, he sits on the bed, legs hanging over the edge of the mattress until his feet touch the cold floor. The Commander rubs his eyes thoroughly before standing up and stretching his body completely. Recovering the trousers from the past night and puts it on, together with the boots. Moving to his chest, he starts searching for the clothes to wear in a day so crucial like today. After some pick and discharge, he goes for a pair of dark soft leather breeches and a black tunic. His boots and armour had to remain in place; he still has to be the Commander, whichever happens later, for as long as the Inquisitor let him. Once he has decided the clothes, he picks the toiletry bag and the sword and goes down the ladder. He opens the west tower, saluting the soldiers he crosses path with. Their sergeants are working in the training ring at the yard, making some demonstrations of block and parry with shield and longswords. Bull is with them and waves to him while he passes nearby. “Hey, Commander, I hope you don’t mind, my boys and I have offered to help with the training today. It’s been a while since someone that is not a big qunari makes Krem bite the dust.”

From the training ring, they can hear the laugh of Krem, “They can try it, Boss. After training with you for years, these poor soldiers can’t touch me. Does anyone want to try? Come on! I’m a ‘vint, you hate me by nature, come on and take me, if you can.”

Bull shakes his head with a happy grin on his face. “Sorry Commander, time to stop my brave lieutenant before he pisses off half of your army.”

Cullen reaches the door to the bath area before Bull can start causing trouble to Krem. He was smiling when he enters the bathroom. Is empty, as always at this hours, but he chooses an individual room anyway. One of the marvels of the Keep is this area, a place with geothermal energy that heats the water and maintains the room at a controlled temperature. Solas said is par natural, part elven magic, but he will not complain about it. Years of cold ablutions had developed a secret passion with baths in him. Closing the door behind him, he put the clean clothes on a bench, testing the water of the tub before starting to undress. A big mirror occupies part of the wall, with a basin under it. He moves to it, filling the washbasin with hot water from the tub and starting to pick up the shaving items from the bag. After washing his face, he applies some soap over the lower half of it and begins to shave the skin with a razor blade. He only needs a couple of minutes to have a smooth face. Cleaning the items, he stores them back in the bag before washing his face with the hot water. Returning near the tub, he searches inside of the bag for the bottle of oil and the soap Josephine gifted him after one of her visits to Val Royeaux. Leaving the bag with his clothes, he returns to the tub and steps inside, almost moaning when the hot water starts to work over his knotted muscles. Leaning back in the big tub, he rests his head at the edge, closing his eyes. After a long while, he remembers the amount of work he has over the table and forces himself to end with the moment. Washing his body and hair is always a quick work, and he steps out of the tub in less than ten minutes since he remembered about his work. Letting his body dry au natural, he searches for a comb inside the bag, moving to stand in front of the mirror while he tries to tame his unruly hair. After some poor attempts, he conquers it; the long curls styled back in a more traditional fashion. His body is almost dry, but he picks a towel to ensure it before dressing up. The tunic has a long opening in the front, and he leaves the cord unknotted, knowing that he will put the armour over it in no time. After recovering the dirty clothes, the bag and the sword, he steps out of the bathroom. He can hear someone taking a bath on one of the private rooms, just like him before. 

The training seems to have ended for when Cullen leaves the bathroom, only Bull and the Chargers remaining there. He waved to them but didn’t stop, the voice inside his head reminding him about the pile of reports on his table. Stepping inside his tower, he finds a tray with the breakfast and some new letters over the original collection. With a sigh, he climbs the ladder only to leave the dirty clothes and the bag just beside the opening and stepping down again. He decides to ignore the armour, for now, he seems to have enough work to remain locked up in the tower for the rest of the morning. Sitting on the chair of his desk, he starts to take some bites of the fruit and bread of his tray while he reads and signs the reports on the pile. 

Time passes without him noticing until a soft knock at the door is precedes a smiling Dorian. “Good morning, Commander. Looking gorgeous in black, I will say.”

Cullen pinches his nose, “Dorian…”

Dorian closes the hatch of the door behind him, moving slowly to the rest, closing them too. “You need to learn how to take a compliment, Commander. Because both of us knew that you are gorgeous in black, the colour suits you.”

“As you say, Dorian. What do you want? I have a lot of work to do.”

Dorian stops in front of the desk, arms crossed, “Really, you already forgotten our little chat?”

Cullen put the quill down, leaning against the back of the chair, a moment that his bones use to crack when he straightens. “Maker, is midday already? I’ve been working all morning.”

Dorian moves aside some of the papers to sit down on the table. “It is already, Commander, and my plan is already in motion. Are you ready?”

The hands of the Commander starts to tremble, and he puts them over the armrest of his chair, “Not really, but I believe I will never be ready for whatever you have planned.” With a sigh, he stands and takes his sword, coat and armlets.

Dorian takes a good look at him, “My-oh-my, Commander. If Max didn’t ravish you today, pay me a visit, I will be honoured to bite you. You look astonishing without your armour, even more impressive knowing that all this body mass is muscle and not metal.”

Cullen is blushing deeply, “Dorian!”

The mage shrugs, “Sorry, can’t fight against my tongue when it wants to say a big true like this. Come on, follow me and I’ll explain you my plan while we move to position.” They leave the tower, informing the guards at the door that the Commander will be unavailable for some hours, instructing to sound the horn in case of an urgency. The soldiers give them a salute, wishing them a good morning.

The little stroll across the battlements is a pleasant one, walking without his armour gives Cullen a lightness sensation.

After they passed the first tower, they stop inside the last one. The soldiers didn’t use this one, because the battlement is ruined on the other side, besides this part of the Keep is over a big cliff that ends in the river, no attack can come from this section of the hold. Dorian opens the exterior door and beckons Cullen to follow. Sitting on a big rock, the mage pats it for the Commander, who takes sit beside him. “Alright, Commander, my plan is so simple is almost stupid, but knowing how you feel about the other, you only need a little push to cross the line. I’m planning to give it to you today.” Seeing the face Cullen is doing, Dorian raises a hand to stop him. “I’m not talking about sex, at least is not my intention, what you do when you are finally alone don't concern me.”

Cullen’s hand is gripping hard the sword’s hilt. “And what is your plan, then, to push us into a closet and pray that the lack of space make our brains stop worrying?”

Dorian stands and shrugs, “In fact, is a good resume of the idea, not the realistic description but a very accurate approach.”

Cullen stands and starts to move in the tower direction, pissed off entirely with the mage, “I don’t know how I let you convince me that this was a good idea. Sorry, Dorian, I have a lot of work to do.”

As soon as they enter the tower, the opposite door opens, and Max almost run inside, closing the door. He gives a little shriek when he sees them. “Maker, Cullen, Dorian, what are you doing here?”

Dorian winks to Cullen, moving to stand beside the Inquisitor. “Taking a stroll, the Commander needed a break and can’t take it by himself if someone didn’t push him outside of the tower, and you? You seem like you have seen a ghost, my friend.”

Max is worrying his lower lip, and Cullen can’t take his eyes from it. “The Duchess and her daughters! They arrived yesterday, and the hag is following me everywhere to throw me her ugly descendants again. Men, where is Josi when I need her!”

Dorian takes a look at the other two man, touching his moustache like he was thinking about something. At last, he smiles to Max, leaning a hand on his shoulder. “I have an idea, my friend. Climb to the last floor of the tower, is high enough to dissuade any pursuer with long skirts to follow you. I’ll try to distract her and send her to Josephine. I'm sure she can entertain the full family.” He has a hand on the knob of the door when he turns over his shoulder, “Commander, it will be good for you to hide too, this kind of woman will try to marry you instead of the Inquisitor in no time.”

Cullen looks angry, “I will not hide away in my own Keep because of a petty noble.”

Max is already climbing the ladder, “Well, I'll do. I enjoyed her company yesterday night, and I prefer to stand in front of a high dragon, unarmed.”

Dorian signals Cullen to follow. “I'll distract her, but I can’t promise it will work. Stay low and silent for a while, will you?”

A soft growl leaves Cullen, and he can swear seeing Max shiver to it. “Fine. I'll talk with Leliana about this. I prefer to avoid this kind of guest at the Keep.”

The Inquisitor is climbing the last ladder, stopping only to answer him. “I already did, to no avail. It seems this hag is an important noble on South Orlais and we need her approval. Damn, I hate politics!”

Max is already up and standing when Cullen reaches the top. “How in the Void are we supposed to stay in a place this narrow? I'm going to kill Dorian.” 

Cullen is starting to close the distance to the ladder when the door opens, the strident voice of the Duchess echoing inside the closed tower. Max grabs his coat and pushes him flat against him in the darkest corner. “I saw him coming this way. He can avoid me forever. I have to talk with your Ambassador about the hospitality of your Inquisitor, Lord Pavus.”

Dorian is there too, but they can't risk a glance, “I'm sorry, milady, but they have received an urgent message and left in a hurry to the war room. I'm sure you can understand that the Inquisitor and the Commander have to deal with war issues without notice.”

Feeling himself secure enough from the hag downstairs, Cullen takes a moment at look to the spectacle in front of him. Max is flat against the wall, Cullen pinning him against it, his hands grasping the fur of his coat. He can't see his face but can hear clearly his quickened breathing. Leaning a bit, he closes the distance to his ear, whispering softly, “Don't worry, I will take care of you.” The moan that leaves his body travelled along Cullen’s body. They are ignoring the idle chitchat downstairs completely. Cullen moves one of his hands to rest on his shoulder. The movement makes the predictable overcome clear for both of them. The hand of his shoulder move to his face, raising it. “Do you really want this?” Max nods, leaning against his touch. When his gaze travels from Cullen’s eyes to his mouth, Cullen lost it, closing the gap between them until their lips are sealed. The kiss was soft at first, almost scared, softly touches and nose caresses. But then the door downstairs closed, silence filling the tower, and Max moves one of his arms around Cullen's neck, propping himself up and kissing him with all his whim. When his tongue touches Cullen's lips, he moans, and Max uses the moment to slip it inside his mouth, searching his tongue and dancing with it. Cullen is a shivering mess; he doesn't know what to do with his hands, where he is allowed to touch, to feel. 

Max breaks the kiss, gasping over his face. “I dreamed for this moment for months.”

Cullen hides his face in the crook of Max's neck. “It was worth the waiting?”

Max chuckles softly, the vibration of his chest adding a new layer to the overwhelming sensations. “You are more than worthy. Now the important topic, where did this leave us?”

Cullen straights his pose, hands returning to lean on each side of his head against the wall. “I'm not a one night person if you know what I mean. If this is only a carnal thirst, I will prefer to go down this stairs and let this moment be a pleasant memory.”

Max grasps hard the fur of his coat with his two hands, apparently afraid of the Commander running away. “And if I aim for something more long-lasting, what will you do?”

The Commander lowers his head, touching his cheek with his and whispering in his ear, “Easy answer of my life. I'll lock you up in your room with me for the rest of the day and ravish you as you deserve and I dreamed for.”

The throaty moan that leaves him makes Cullen growl. “Please, take me, Commander.”

Max can feel Cullen’s smile against his cheek, “I don't think this place will survive it.”

“Funny. Didn't believe that you had in you to be a cruel man.”

Cullen steps away from him, leaning to put a soft kiss on his lips. “I rather take you in a bed, with the time and comfortably enough to enjoy it until this world calls us back.”

The sweetest smile that Cullen has seen in his life showed on Max's face. “Do you want to come to my quarters right now? Can you take the time?”

With a soft shake of his head, Cullen kisses him again before moving away from him, “I will make time to be with you even in the middle of a siege. I'll talk with Cassandra. She can take my role for the rest of the day.”

Max smiles softly, still reticent to let him go completely. “I'll talk with Leliana then. In my quarters in half an hour?”

“You have a deal, my friend. We can talk about it if you want.”

The delightful laugh of the Inquisitor fills the little space, “What I want, my dear Cullen, is to have you naked, in my bed, for the rest of the days of this forsaken world. But I will take whatever you will give me.”

His words make something grow in Cullen's chest, something warm is spreading across his body. What he thought was a simple crush on his superior, reveals its true form, love screaming to him from the bottom of his chest. Taking Max in his arms, he raises his body against his and kisses him with all his heart. When they have to stop to take a breath, Cullen lean their foreheads together. “If you continue talking to me that way, I will ravish you right here, right now.”

Max kiss him sweetly, “Alright. Besides Dorian will raise us from the death only to kick our asses again if we die here when this fragile structure falls.”

Cullen is laughing while they descend the ladders to the main floor. “I'm sure he will want to know the details before starting with the kicking part.”

Once on solid ground, Cullen uses the moment to straighten his coat, and tries to be subtle when he repositions his boner inside his pants. Max is smiling to him, doing the same. The Inquisitor stops before opening the door. “Let's see if the noisy hag has relented in her pursuit.”

Cullen follows him outside, scanning the area to confirm they are free to go. “Come to my tower. You can go to Leliana from there, dodging any noble who wants to disturb you.”

Max nods and waits for him to close the door before stepping beside him and starts their walk to the tower. A nice amount of reports awaits for Cullen on the table, the view of it make the Commander sigh. Max put a hand on his back, “You know that all these reports can wait until tomorrow, or Leliana will be here to talk about it.”

Cullen lets go a deep sigh, “I know, but sometimes I wish that my work was on the field instead of rotting behind a desk.”

Leaning against him, Max rests his head on his shoulder, “And I wish you can come with me on my missions.”

The pair of them simply enjoys the moment of closeness in the silence of the tower, until a knock at one of the doors disturb them. Cullen kisses Max head before stepping away and beckoning whoever is knocking. It was one of Josephine's aides, bringing more reports to sign. The poor girl almost got a heart attack when she sees the Inquisitor there too. They are the visible head of the dragon that is the Inquisition, the most powerful men in the Order, and the youngest members of it always react with a mix of awe and fear in their presence.

When the messenger leaves, Cullen pins the letters and reports with a little sword, and moves back to Max, touching his face with the back of his hand. “We have earned a day off, don't you think?”

Turning to face Cullen's hand, Max gives him a big smile. “Agreed. I will order some cold food for the rest of the day. See you soon, Cullen.”

When Max is raising his hand to open the door, Cullen grabs it and turns him over his heels, wrapping an arm around his waist and kissing him like if Max was the only air he needs. At last, Max moves away, breathing quickly and with swollen lips. He takes a moment to steady his breathing before turning to whispers on Cullen's ear. ‘Can't wait to have you begging on my bed, Commander.” When Cullen stops breathing for a moment, Max giggles, “Two can play this game, love. Don't be late.” He takes a quick step back before he can stop him again, walking the passage that leads to the rotunda with a happy grin plastered on his face.

Cullen takes a long deep breath, forcing his body to relax, but the images his words are conjuring on his mind are making it almost an impossible feat. He doesn't want to be late, and he ignores his body signals. Leaving the tower and going down the stairs near the tavern. As he expected, Cassandra is on her customary corner, legs crossed under her body while she leans against a wall, sword laying beside her on the grass. He coughs to announce his presence, and she simply pats the grass beside her before closing the book to give him her full attention. Sitting on the ground, he leans back on his hands and lets himself enjoy the breeze. 

The look she gives him was one of incredulity, punching him softly on the shoulder and giving him one of her lopsided grins. “Spit it out, Cullen.”

“I don't know what are you talking about, my friend.”

She snorts to him, “Fine, keep your secrets then, but when you are ready to share, I want to be the first on the list.”

He is blushing but gives her a reassuring nod. “I don't like hiding things from you, my friend, but this is so fragile that I want to be sure about it.” When she nods to him, the little grin returning to her face, he continues. “In fact, I came to ask for your help. Can you take my place for the rest of the day?”

Cassandra laughs, something so unusual that some of the soldiers around the ring look to them. “No problem. But I'm starting to think that I have to add some details about your day to your confession.” When the Commander starts to blush again, she laughs even more. “I'm kidding, Cullen. I will do it, but you have to promise that you will return to me tomorrow at least with the same happiness you wear today.”

He stands and helps her, picking her sword from the ground and giving it to her. “That's the plan, my friend. Thanks for having my back, Cass.” 

She is fixing the sword on the scabbard, book under an arm. “I will always be there, Cullen. Now it will be better if I start doing your work before the pile of unsubstantial reports grows even more. See you later, my friend.” 

She leaves his side, her long stride bringing her in no time to the stairs, which she climbs two steps at a time. Cullen sighs, knowing she will be there to take care of everything makes him feel more at ease. Raising his head, he fixes his gaze on the main hall door, knowing what awaits him at the end of the room. He starts to climb the stairs with a smile plastered on his face, returning the salutes and waves the inhabitants of Skyhold gives to him. 

The main hall seemed even darker when Cullen moves inside after walking under the midday sun. As always, the room is filled with nobles, the sound of their mixed conversations echoing at the stone walls. Leliana is leaning against Josephine’s door, with the Ambassador to her side, looking quite pleased. When she beckons to him, Cullen doesn't have a choice, and he nears the pair of women. “Good morning, Leliana and Josephine.”

With a nod, Leliana takes a step from the wall and starts to walk to the Inquisitor’s quarter. “Good, indeed. Come with us, Commander, we have an urgent meeting with the Inquisitor.” The Commander tries to hide the disappointment from his face, but to no avail, and the two women giggled together when they reach the inner hallway that leads to the Inquisitor’s quarters. Leliana seems to take pity on him, leaning on the railway with a big smile on her face. “Don’t worry, Cullen. We are your alibi. Enjoy your free day, and have some fun. Come, Josi, I just received a box of your favourite treats, if you are in the mood to share them.”

The Ambassador nods happily, and when Leliana moves to leave, she plants a sweet kiss on Cullen’s cheek. “I’m happy for you two. See you tomorrow.”

When they leave, Cullen stands in the hallway, hardly blushing when he thinks that almost everyone he considers a friend already knew that something is happening. ‘I hope everything works well today, or I can't look at their faces tomorrow.’ Taking a deep breath, he gathers the courage he needs to knock at the door. When nothings happen, he starts to panic, thinking that maybe Max has got second thoughts about it and wanted him to leave. Just when he is about to turn tails and run, the door opens and Max jumps on his arms, hands gripping the back of his coat in a vicious grip. “I feared you would not come.”

Cullen returns the hug, hands flattening on his back, “I feared you had second thoughts and didn't want to open the door to face me.”

Max moves his hands from his back to capture his face, looking intently into his eyes. “Never. Now come into my room. I ordered some food and begged Josi for a good wine.” Cullen nods, and they separate, but they climb the stairs hand in hand. Max closes the hatch of the room, and when they set foot on his inner sanctum, he moves them to the couch, where a tray of cold food and a bottle of Antivan wine is waiting for them. Sitting on it, Max pours the dark red liquid on a pair of wine glasses, giving one to him and raising his to toast with Cullen. “To Dorian and his stupid plan, because I know I’ll never have gathered the courage to open my heart to you.”

Cullen clinks his glass with him, taking a long gulp. “To our sassy friend.” He puts down the glass, taking Max’s one on his hand and putting it beside his on the table. Max is softly blushing when the Commander moves closer to him, his lips ghosting over his. “If this is a dream, don’t wake me.”

With a sigh, Max closes the distance, kissing him like his life depends on it. His hands start to roam over the fur of his coat, and the Commander groans softly when one of his hands buries itself in Cullen’s curls. Their position on the couch avoid them to touch so much, one of Cullen’s arm is pinned between them and the other is used for leverage against the back of the couch, but the uncomfortable position didn’t avoid the kiss rising in heat and passion. When at last they separate to catch some air, Max pushes Cullen to sit back and jumps to straddle him. “I tasted you on the Fade, many times, and I can assure you that this is real.” They start to kiss again, Max shoving the coat away from the Commander’s shoulders while the blonde slips his hands under Max’s tunic, stealing a groan from the other man when they touch skin on skin for the first time. After a minute, the Inquisitor moves away from him, leaning the forehead on his. “Maker’s breath. I never wanted someone so badly before. I feel like I will die if you didn’t take me soon.”

The groan Cullen gives him can be scary if not for the heated look in his eyes. He kisses him again, with a renewed passion, his tongue pushing into his mouth and dancing with his. His right arm moves to grab his ass, and showing a force that makes Max melt from the inside, Cullen stands up, pinning the lite body of the Inquisitor against his and taking the few steps that separate them from the bed.

Max moves to kneel over the bed, without breaking the kiss and starts to untie the tunic that separates him from Cullen’s body. His heated hands slip inside the opening, thumbs brushing over his chest hair. Both of their breathings quickened, and Cullen starts to feel dizzy, the combination of the kiss and the soft touches is starting to undo him. Max changes the position to put some wet kisses along the Commander’s chin, softly biting the lobe of his ear. “Take your tunic off for me, Cullen. I want to see you.”

Taking a step back, he picks the hem of the tunic and takes it off, throwing it behind him without any care for where it lands. The hard-on he sports is clearly on view without the linen covering it, and Max gasped at the sight. When the younger man starts to fumble with the closings of his own tunic, the yearning he feels for his touch makes him tear the offending garment apart, buttons flying over the ground while Cullen giggles before pushing Max against the mattress and crawling over him. The two of them moan when their bodies finally melt into one another, Cullen’s skin is hot against Max's chest, and they kiss again, Max controlling Cullen’s head with a hand on his nape while Cullen moves a hand to tease one of his nipples with his fingers. When the kiss heated again, they move to adjust and then their erections touch. The pair of them groans on the other mouth, rocking their hips at unison. 

After some minutes, Cullen sits back on his heels, the image in front of him engraving itself on his mind; the Inquisitor, flushed and with lips swollen from their shared kisses, nipples hardened and the bulge of his cock threatening to break the seams of his breeches. His own reacts to the image, twitching inside of his smalls and screaming for release. When Cullen didn’t return, Max sits in front of him, leaning a hand on his chest. “Do you want to stop?”

With a firm shake of his head, Cullen takes a deep breath, “Maker, no. But it’s been a while, and I don’t want for it to end so soon.”

Max softly chuckles, moving until he is kneeling in front of him, pushing him to lay on his back. “We have until tomorrow morning to repeat how many times we want, Cullen. But now--” He moves a hand from his collarbones to his navel. “Now I’m gonna eat you. I need to taste you.” The Commander is speechless. He only can nods to him, leaning his weight on his forearms to have a good view of the show, he dreamed of it night after night for months now.

The Inquisitor forces Cullen’s leg to separate enough to accommodate him, and he lays on his belly between them. Taking a quick look to the laces on Cullen’s breeches, he decides to undo the knots with his teeth, pulling the knots. His lips touch the bulge under the leather from time to time, breath ghosting over it with clear intentions. When the last knot is free, he moves a hand to open the breeches, moving them down with some help from the Commander. The man wears a simple pair of white smalls, a little stain of precum decorating them. He uses one of his hands to slip them down to join the pants on his thighs. When the freed member almost hit him in the face, the Inquisitor can’t resist it and whistles to him, making Cullen giggle with him. The size and grid are so appealing that Max is already mouthwatering before closing the distance to it and licking a wet road from his thighs to his balls’ sack. Taking the member in hand, he moves closer to him and touches the head, tongue flat against it. 

For the first time since they met those months ago, the Inquisitor hears Cullen swearing, shouting it to the heavens from the bottom of his lungs. “Fuck! Maker, Max.”

With a kiss on the tip, Max starts to plant soft kisses along the length of Cullen’s cock, marking each word with a kiss. “Yeah, thanks to Him. You are a piece of art. Every single part of you.” The blonde is already panting, his usually stylised hair is free to show its true form, and a golden halo of soft blonde curls frames his face. The smell of him is almost as intoxicating as his nude body, and Max feels the urgent need to taste him for good this time. Taking the head of Cullen’s cock inside his mouth, Max picks a drop of precum from the tip, moaning loudly with the bittersweet taste. The Commander is mumbling incoherencies even before Max takes the full length of him, the head of it touching the back of his throat. Moving up and down, he uses his tongue to tease him, circling the sensitive point under the head and hollowing his cheeks. His own dick is painfully hard, and he grinds his hips against the bed to ease some of the maddening lust he is feeling. Raising his weight on his hand, he changes the angle and swallows him even more. Cullen’s tries to stop him because he is so damn close that he already sees stars, but Max just moves away for taking a deep breath before taking him as deep as possible. The Commander comes with a low roar, the hot liquid filling Max’s mouth and throat while he tries to swallow it. When Cullen’s stops trembling, the Inquisitor let it fall from his lips, licking it clean while the blonde swears a bit more. “You taste marvellous. Even better than in my luscious dreams.”

Cullen is still going down from his highs, but as soon as his mind starts working again, he moves his arms and pushes Max over him, sealing their lips in a heated kiss, all teeth and tongue. Tasting himself on the other man's mouth makes him growl louder, and Max feels goosebumps breaking on his skin because of it. Their breath mixed when Cullen breaks the kiss shortly, before turning them to lay Max on his back while he pins him against the mattress. When he leans his full body against him, the younger one moans when he feels the hard member of the Commander pressed between them. “Maker’s breath, Cullen. Take me before I melt on the bed!”

Another roar and the world disappears for Max when Cullen starts to kiss him again while his hands work on the fastenings of his breeches. Lowering them enough to free his cock, Cullen takes it in his calloused hands, pumping him slowly, giving the wrist a little twist when he reaches the tip. Now is Max’s turn to mumble when Cullen continues his assault, adding some biting and lapping on the neck to it. They are panting heavily when the Commander relents in his attack, hand softly caressing the head of Max’s dick. “Are you sure that is what you want?”

“Andraste’s tits, Cullen. Are you kidding me? I’m sure as the Void that I want to feel every inch of you inside of me.”

The Commander stops breathing for a moment before kissing him again, stopping only to make the question that Max has been waiting. “Do you have any oil?”

Max nods but pushes him away. “Yes, I have, but I need to move to pick it up.” With a groan, Cullen moves away from him while Max crawls over the bed to search inside one of the drawers of the nigh table. They use the moment to take off the last remnant of clothes, crashing in the middle of the bed completely naked. Max puts a little phial on Cullen’s hand while they kiss and the Commander moves them to lay on their side, facing one another. Moving the phial to his other hand, Cullen starts to caress Max back, moving his hand lower and lower until he is squeezing a bare ass cheek. Letting the hand roam even lower, he shifts the leg until it rests over his hips. When the hand goes up, it touches the hole, making Max shudder and Cullen moan. He let his finger stroke it, drawing soft circles it until Max hits his shoulder. “Don’t tease me anymore, please?”

With some coaxing from the younger one’s part, Cullen recovers the phial, coating his fingers in the scented oil before returning to the same spot. Tracing it again, he covers the soft skin with the oil before starting to prove it with a finger. The sweet sounds Max is doing only fueled Cullen’s passion, and he starts to move his finger deeper until he is knuckle-deep on him. Max’s fingers are gripping his bicep hard enough to leave a mark, but he didn’t care. Taking the finger out slowly, he adds another one, earning himself a deep moan from the Inquisitor. After some moments, his fingers are fully inside him, and Cullen scissored them to open him more. When a third finger is added to the onslaught, Max is almost breathless, shivering slightly each time Cullen leaves him empty to return a second later. 

Max is going crazy from need, trying to focus his mind on creating the phrases he wants to say. When he finally talks, his voice sounds ragged, “Please, Cullen. I’m ready. I need you.”

Cullen kisses him again, changing their positions again until Max is resting on his back. He recovers a pillow and puts it under his low back before kneeling between his bended knees. Coating his cock with a good dose of oil, he pumps him a couple of times, looking intently at the young man in front of him. When he finally goes down on him, Max has regained some of his bearings and is biting his lower lip to stop the moans that wanted to be free seeing the naked form of Cullen getting ready to fuck him senseless. When the tip of the blonde’s cock touch Max’s hole, the pain-pleasure makes him cry to the Maker and Andraste and all that is holy. Cullen takes his time, moving slowly inside of him, even when his own passion is making him tremble. When he is fully sheathed inside Max, he leans his forehead on his, breathing him in. “Maker, Max. You feel so good! Too tight and hot and perfect.” The Inquisitor moves to capture his mouth in a kiss, his tongue fighting against his while he gets used to the intrusion. When he feels sure enough about it, he makes a little movement, encouraging Cullen to starts moving. 

Cullen breaks the kiss, moving an arm to capture Max’s leg and pinning it against his chest to open him up. “I’m gonna to fuck you so hard that you will remember my touch for days. Do you want it? Want me to pump inside of you until you stop thinking and the only word you can remember is my name?”

Max thought in that same moment that he could climax only with his words, and can’t find his voice to answer him. He nods hard, moving his other leg to circle his waist and pushing him against him, making the pair of them moan to the delightful friction. Cullen starts then to fuck him, just like he said he would do, sinking inside of him with hard and deep movements. His gaze is fixed on Max’s face, taking in every detail of it. Max’s cock lay untouched on his belly, the precum painting his skin when his body moves with every thrust of the Commander. They are panting heavily when Cullen stops his movement, fully sheathed on him. Before Max can starts to protest, the blonde put his knees in a better position and sits back, raising the Inquisitor with him, his cock still deep inside of the younger man. The obscene moan Max lets go when the tip of Cullen’s dick touches his prostate only makes the Commander aiming for it with every push. Max moves his legs to have some leverage and starts to fuck himself with Cullen’s dick with graceful movements. The older man put his hand on his lower back, giving him support enough to let the younger one bend back a little, changing the angle a bit and letting him sink even deeper inside him. “Cullen, please, touch me, I--need--to--come.” Every word remarked with a hard descends on his dick.

Cullen stops then, the tip of his cock resting directly against the secret spot inside of him that curled his toes. Taking the hard dick on hand, the Commander starts to pump him, twisting his wrist enough to make him gasp with every stroke. “Yes, come for me, love, give it to me.” The total onslaught he is suffering make him falls into the precipice of pleasure with a cry, stars exploding behind his closed eyelids. Cullen is panting even harder, the combination of seeing Max come undone by his touch and body, with the feeling of his ass milking him while he climax is enough to make the Commander come deep inside Max.

They recover their breathing slowly, hearts drumming on their chests. The tender Commander is back when he lowers them to the bed, kissing him until he forgets the world and the Breach and the Inquisition. The only important thing in his life is Cullen, and he feels so alive and happy that is even frightening. But when he opens his eyes, he sees the same sentiment on Cullen's eyes, “I love you, Cullen. Stay with me tonight?”

The Commander kiss him again, before hugging him, their bodies still connected. “I will stay by your side for as long as you want me. I love you too, Max.” They fall asleep over the covers, sweated skin and dishevelled hair, but a happy grin in both of their faces.


End file.
